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The Man Who Refused to Die His Name Is Not Familiar to Most O[ Us

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The Man Who Refused to Die His Name Is Not Familiar to Most O[ Us The man who refused to die His name is not familiar to most o[ us. In 1963, one author honored him this way: "He strides through the annals of the Old West, a man ol truly hcroic proportions, ye! a strangely elusive one." He was Hugh Glass, Mountain Man. He is said to have hailed from Pennsylvania as a young man. He next sailed on the Gulf of Mexico as skipper of a merchant vessel. He was intitiated into the adventurous life by none olher ttran the pirate, Jean Lafitte, who captured Glass's ship on the high seas. At this time, it is estimated Glass was in his mid-30s. Glass was taken as a prisoner to l-afitte's headquarters at what is today the city of Galveston, Texas. There he was offered a choice: become a freeboo[er, or die. Glass chose to live. The length of time he lived as a pirate is estimated as slightly oYer a year' His chance for escape came in 1818 when he and a companion dropped over the side of their ship and at night swam the two miles to the Texas mainland' At that time, Texas was a pathless wilderness. In trying to avoid hostile cannibalistic Indians, the two escapees cut away from the coasal jungles into the plains where, a thousand miles later, they were captured by the Pawnee in what is now I(ansas. Here Glass's companion was burned to death. But, he was saved. On his person was found a package of cinnabar, highly-prized by redmen in the making of brilliant red war paint. Hailing this find as a miracle, the grateful'chieluin adopted him as a son, During the next four years, Glass lived and fought as an Indian. Much of what he learned as an Indian proved useful o him in later life as as a primal Mountain Man. The opportunity for escape from the Pawnee was presented to Glass in 1822, when various tribes were invited to St. Louis to meet William Clark, U.S. Superintendent of Indian Aftairs. Here fte Pawnee chief lost a foster son, who simply walked away from his adopted Indian family to once again face life as a paleface. Glass next volunteered to join William Ashley's force of 100 men in the spring of 1823 - a force of would-be fur trappers to ascend the Missouri River as far as the See REFUSED 'TO .P[F.;'Page 16 REFUSED TO DIB, Continued from Page 15 Rocky Mounuins. In his ncw rolc as bcavcr trapper, Class becamc a survivor, favored with an uncanny knack ol bcing at the right place at the right time. I-le was recognized as a loncr, refusing to blend with the rest of his group' He likcd tirc job of advanced hunLcr, when he could tfuead his way alone ttrrough brush and chappru-al. On onc expcdirion with a party of 13 under Major Andrew Henry, Class was enjoying his role as soliury hunter when he approachcd a tlricket in which a giantcss arnong grizzlies resied in company with her young. Raising herself to a towcring standing position, the bear roared and attacked. Giass was abte to get off one shot from his rifle, then broke and tricd to flm- Caught from behind by the monster, he was crushed to the ground by the bear's huge forepaws. With two blows, Glass's adversary inflicted ghastly wounds on th€ traPper's torso, baring the flesh to the bone. He fought back at close quarters, stabbing and slashing witlr his knife ... but not forlong. Raked above and bclow by the beast's thre€'inch ulons and ripped by teeth just as tcrrible, he was soon forced to scream for help. Other members of the party rushed to his aid. They found him lying prostrate on the crimsoned ground ... .apparently insensible. Squarely on top of him lay the de& gizzly. Glass's solo bullet obviously had performed its intended job. According to one description, "Glass had not less than 15 wounds, any one of which would have been considered mortal." One wound was a tear in his throat that spurted a red bubble whcn he breathed. There.were other severe lacerations all over his torn body. He'd been "tore nearly to peases (sic)," and their wonder was - as they examined his body - that he retained sufTicient blood inside him to hold onto life. Without medical supplies, "his wounds were bound up, though it was tttougltt by all that he could not possibly survive." They awaited the following day, when they fully expected to find him dead Ir didn'r happen. He held on iyrmly to his life, labored brea*r after labored breath. Major Hcnry was anxious to move on. Their destination, Fort Kiowa, was still 350 miles away. They were in hostile Indian territory.They must move on' A crudc litter was fashioned, and Glass was carried "&s a corpse upon a bier"' His two bearers had to pick their way through thickets of brush and dwarf plum trees. Their rough, uneven movements.must have caused him untold agony with every step' Because the party's progress was too slow, Major Henry found two volunteers to remain bchind with Glass until he died - a conclusion no one doubted. They were John Fiugerald and Jim Bridger. At the time, Bridger wron$ t?-yearsotd: They stayed four days with the dying man. Then, in an act defying cotnpassion, they stripped Glass of his possessions, including his prized rifle,'and abandoned him. During this time, Glass listened to their conversation and swore to himself he would avenge their thievery. Perhaps this is what kept him alive. During the next four or five days of solitary restriction, he was delirious. Luckily, hiJerstwhile companions had moved hib pallet next to a sping. That and the See REFUSED TO DIE, Page 18 REFUSED TO DIE, Continued from Page 16 buffalo berries he was able o reach saved him from starvation. ri.., On another lucky day, he killed a sleeping rattlesnake near him arrd thal gave him the strength to leave his litter, not by walking away frgm it, but by crawling. into his stomach. ,.,'.; After this feast of dripping gore; he regained'itruoh of hisi Vanished sueng8r; !o rhe point where he was able to stand again; Along wilh this; his rvounds were healing. .,i,: He was soon walking 20 miles'a dayl Hi3-Ybsi.ination *'asrFort'Kiow*on thd Missouri, reaching it on Ocl 11, 1823. He hdd;Cih'wted and,whlked,350 miles. By this time, the Wesr's population cf,lyhites.hadilgng cansidg{ed Glasp to be dead. So, when he appeared at the fort.very muchtalive, hir petqo* $tqck $ger.pd. Hp quickly became the most highly-respected Mountain Man in:the,weptern expansion. Glass eventually caught up separately with the two men he. swore m kill on sight. Bridger was lhe first, but Glass found himself uuble ro "kill rhe boy." When he finally stood face-to-face with Fiugerald, $e,man had joined the U.S. Army. The camp commander prevented Glass from killing anyone under his . protection. He did, however, p9ov9r f,pm Fitzgerald his pr'Ued rifle. : i ''r ' ..,, _ Untilthe.mqment Glass aqco;tpil Fitzgerald,t.,i'I.$S\ it is egtirhated he hqdici,av walkedhihast2;qpo miles.)ii1*''',. - q,. \if,S , 'HughGtass spent his tipggst,Bi!.ttre *:",rg13,.r.q:i'of Missistrp4,#,cdr knowd to his cronies as "Old Gldss." i He was shot and'killed with two'companions in the spring of 1833 while crossing the Yellowstone River. A band of hostile Arikara Indians slgw them from ambush..
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